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The August Solar Eclipse Had Twice As Many Viewers As Recent Super Bowl Football Games

National Park Service

Did you get a chance to watch the recent solar eclipse?  If you did, according to University of Michigan researchers, you were among an unparalleled size crowd united in watching one event.

According to the U of M national study of American adults, 88 percent of those questioned said they viewed the August total solar eclipse directly or electronically.  That's an estimated 215 million adults, which is nearly twice the size of viewership of recent Super Bowl games.

Working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the University of Michigan researchers found that 154 million American adults watched the eclipse directly, and some 20 million traveled from their home to watch the solar eclipse to see it in a higher degree of totality.

One in three eclipse viewers took pictures or video.  Most adults questioned found their solar eclipse viewing experience to be both enjoyable and educational.

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— Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. You can contact Lisa at 734.487.3363, on Twitter @LisaWEMU, or email her at lbarryma@emich.edu

Lisa Barry was a reporter, and host of All Things Considered on 89.1 WEMU.
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